by Rick Tavel Special to Corvette Forum ? 7-22-2013 All rights reserved, do not duplicate without permission. One of the most important and renowned automobile events in the country, the Concours d?Elegance of America, returns to the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan on Sunday, July 28th. The Concours d?Elegance of America, is […]

Back in the early 1980s, I was stuck with an old Buick that I tried to sell for months for $500. I finally got so desperate that I ran a humorous ad hoping for a response, something along the lines of: “Free 1979 Buick, with purchase of $500 watermelon.” I finally sold the car for

by Rick Tavel Special to Corvette Forum ? 7-17-2013 All rights reserved, do not duplicate without permission. Corvette had frequently bragged that it was America’s only sports car and liked to advertise that fact. And up until 1968 that fact was undisputable. But the marketing department found need to resurrect and reinforce that claim […]

by Rick Tavel Special to Corvette Forum ? 7-10-2013 All rights reserved, do not duplicate without permission. The first year advertising for the new C3 concentrated on educating the consumer to the new features and styling of America’s sports car. In 1968, both the body style and interior were all new while the engine […]

As Corvettes at Carlisle celebrates 50 years of the 1963 Stingray and 60 years overall of the Corvette, it’s only fitting that someone who played a crucial role in the design of Stingray is a part of it. Corvette enthusiasts can meet Peter Brock, one of the driving forces behind what is now known as the ’63 “split window” Corvette Stingray at this year’s event, August 23-25 at the Carlisle (Pennsylvania) Fairgrounds.Brock will be onsite promoting his new book, Corvette Stingray: Genesis of an American Icon, meeting fans and signing autographs all weekend. The book reveals the elaborate and complicated history and secret origins of the legendary “split window” car. In 1957, Brock was one of the youngest designers ever hired by GM Styling and he gives automotive enthusiasts his revealing insider’s look into what it was like working directly under GM’s famed executive team of Bill Mitchell, Harley Earl, Zora Arkus-Duntov and Ed Cole. These men allowed Brock to be creative and visionary, all while risking their careers by flaunting corporate mandate to create one of America’s most iconic designs. The book isn’t just a story for Stingray owners but all serious students of automotive history.Along with Brock, guests can meet the Corvette Engineering team, along with special guest Dave McLellan. McLellan was the chief engineer for Corvette from 1975 until his retirement in 1992. Having joined GM in 1959 following his graduation from college, McLellan took over from the famed Zora Arkus-Duntov and actually worked side by side with him until Zora retired. McLellan is best known as the man behind the C4 Corvette, of which many will be onsite during Corvettes at Carlisle.